I am a cheerleader and so is one of my best friends who will remain unnamed. She has always been self conscious about how she looks. We all have ask.fm's and people went on there and would tell us we were bitches and stupid because we were cheerleaders. It didn't bother me that much, but it bothered her. People started being meaner and meaner to her, calling her fat and a pig and telling her that she should stop eating cake. It got to a point where she had panic attacks. The person doing this turned out to be another girl on the team. We don't know why she attacked my friend online but she did and was not punished. I feel as though the school didn't care and it just ended up making us look even worse and we got more hate. My friend is very important to me, and the fact that there was no punishment made me so mad. I wanted to help but there was no way I could because the school "had it under control." I don't'  think she feels safe being on the team anymore. 

I'm a young bus driver by comparison of many others. I'm now 25, but I started when I was 23. The one thing that bothered me was the amount of teachers and principals who asked me to unpunish the children who were being a bully or acting up on the bus. I would sit them up next to me or separate people, and the next day I would have the principal telling me that the bully's parent was unhappy that I forced them to sit up front next to me and to undo my punishment. How is a bus driver supposed to protect students when we are denied our right to regulate how students act on a bus?

Even more, the one thing I saw that confused me was that kids who were standing up to their bullies were being punished. I used to get so angry seeing this because it takes a lot of strength to stand up to a bully. I'm not saying violence is the way, but sometimes... you just need to give one good punch to let that bully know to cut the crap out. I remember my mom telling me about these girls who picked on her and at the time one of them had crutches. They were calling my mom names and kicked her, and finally my mom just had enough. She kicked the crutches out from under the girl and told her to never bother her again. Now a days, if a kid did that, they would get into so much trouble. Teachers and principals should not be punishing a child for standing up for themselves. This "zero tolerance" is also harming the very kids it's trying to protect.

I know the feeling of being bullied. As I was watching the documentary Bully, I remembered a memory from 2nd grade. It was the fear of being picked on and how easy it felt to go along with the crowd to pick on someone else; even if it was a friend. I remember Indian Sunburning a girl's arm so badly in 2nd grade on the bus, and her mom called my mom (we were friends). My mom was so angry with me and sat me down to explain why it was wrong and to not treat people how I wouldn't like to be treated.

In 4th grade, it was like hell. I had a group of girls who I thought were my friend but threatened if I didn't buy them things/do stuff for them, then they wouldn't be my friend anymore. For months I'd give them my favorite toys, gum, and do stupid things for them. It got to the point that my mom noticed my desperation to get a poster for them, that something was wrong. I finally told her, and she told me that they weren't my friends. That I shouldn't have to buy people things to be their friend. She had me stand up to them the next day which was the most scary thing ever. They called me names and yelled that I had lice. I ignored them and told them they weren't my friends. After awhile, they stopped and realized I didn't care.

My brother was picked on a lot as a kid. His food allergy to peanuts (he was the first kid in the town in the 90s to have a peanut allergy), and the school wanted him to sit alone at his own table at lunch. The school segregated him, and by doing that the kids made fun of him. He still has a lot of anger in him.

I think principals and teachers are a huge main factor when it comes to bullying and I hate how they handle situations.

...

April 26, 2014

Hey it's Melissa but just call me Mel,

It's been 9 days since I've been on here but I've been writing in my notebook i keep and I've bee crying because lately i have been getting bullied on the internet again and listening to sad music because of Cyber bullying. It's not fair people around the world getting picked on from other people around the world not only does it hurt others it's slowly killing them.....so here is the story

I post one thing about cutting and i stand up for my friend who is getting bullied for cutting but i took the bullying off of her back and now it's on my back and it's bull crap i'm like are you freaking kidding me those freaking bully's are coming after me now and now (please excuse my langue) I'm a attention whore and everything. I'm like it's not like they don't know what i go through and they judge me for posting my life i'm like so what if i post one thing that happened to but YOU can post your life but I CAN'T?! Like Wtf is wrong with people, Oh they can post their life but i cant post one picture defending my friends and one that say's what i'm going through like seriously, It's like oh ok mother, but really you can curse them out like i did but then got the living crap beaten out of me. Yes i'm a girl but they were boys who beat me but sadly i'm use to it i'm on the same road to the mental hospital again. Why? You may ask is because i have scars on my neck from almost committing suicide but i almost did it again last night, my friend was in a car accident and her legs were crushed and a piece of glass penetrated above her heart, my great grandmother died and my dad has cancer. It's just not fair, all i wanna do is disappear and never come back it's not like anyone would notice i was gone and stuff it is just logic my friend, I may died but no one will really care in the end ; - ;

That's what happen to me and when i get cyber bullied, please can anyone help me by giving some advice please. 

Hello,

My name is Sandy Ink, I have a 13 year old daughter who is being bullied in school, she has just moved to the school this last Sept, So form the beginning of school year this same girl has been mentally abusing my daughter and just being a BULLY.  I have been to the school at least 5-7 times about this issue, I finallly had a sit down with the school about the issue, I thought that that would solve the problem.. Well they changed the students schedule and allowed my daughter to stay in class a few minutes late so she would have to be in the hallways with this child, BUT... and I am looking into this issue the school told the bully the reason that they changed her schedule was because of my DAUGHTER.. I know right.. WHY  TELL THE BULLY THE REASON HER LIFE IS BEING CHANGED IN SCHOOL IS BECAUSE OF THE KID SHE IS BULLYING ... MAKES NO SENSE. THIS IS JUST GOING TO MAKE HER RETALIATE EVEN MORE!!  The school says that is it protocol.  So I am trying to make this a positive thing for my daughter, I want her to be empowered.. I want her her to have the tools and educate herself on way to stand up and make a difference in her life and in the life of others.  Things need to change.. and I am determined to make that change. No one should feel scared to go to school.. My daughter has been suffering panic attacks because of this, it has made her self-esteem plumit, she has to take medication to get up enough courage to go to SCHOOL.. I feel so helpless. As a parent you are suppose to protect you child, how am I suppose to protect her?  I cant be with her 24 hours a day. School should be a SAFE place. With all of the school shootings that have happened all over the world, one can not feel safe knowing that it could happen right here, as much as it could and did happen there?  I love my daughter with all my heart. SHE IS MY WORLD!!   

Before I start, I want to tell you I am not in America. My cousin lives there and I'm just a 11 year old kid in Malaysia. But I want to share my cousin's story in bullying and mine too. I'll start with mine first though since its the longest.

It all started with me changing school. My parents thought the teachers weren't good in my old school so I had to go to a completely brand new school and from public school, I was changing to international school so I am skipping a grade. On the first day, I got to meet my classmates and I made friends pretty fast. The school was also brand new so everybody didn't know each other. There was this boy too and he constantly picks on everyone and he still does but he takes all out on me. He calls me lots of things I will censor here and he beats me up. On the second week of school, he tried to strangle me my fingernails were long so when I gripped his arm to get him off me there long scratch marks on his arm and he cried and ratted on me like I was the real bully. The principal didn't believe what I said and scolded me instead. The teachers were pretty mad at him too and one gave him demerit points. The bully tore up the demerit points form and threw it in the teachers face. They suspended him for 2 weeks but when he came back, he didn't change at all and he posted bad things on YouTube about us and he still bullys us.

On my cousins story, her friends and other people in her school bully and tease her because she's Asian. So what if she's Asian! Thats plain racism.

I'm just sharing this story so that you can help my cousin. She's in Pheonix, and I thought I would share my story too. These bullys still bully my cousin and the boy is still bullying me.

I do not really want to go down this road, but I've been bullied and have seen kids being bullied that I have and haven't stood up for. I say, if no one hears your voice, aim higher in the field. Like for example if a parent or principal doesn't hear you, go to the superintendent or senator/state rep that is passionate about the subject. Never feel alone or self-harm even if it seems that way or that it will be your only escape. You are responsible for staying alive to make more lives in the future that have high possibilities of being equals with other students now that they will know YOU are passionate. We love you, and I love you and don't you ever give up on life because someone treats you badly.

Hi I'm Marie.